The Ford F-150 Lightning is poised to make its debut on May 19th, and the company is promising to make this particular debut one of the most talked-about ones in 2021. The company is even going through the trouble to turn the front of its famous “Glass House” Headquarters building into a giant viewing screen, so the stakes are very high for Ford planners. Lightning has so far only revealed its revamped badging, but the company has decided to share a bit more and has revealed a new teaser showing the truck’s profile on Instagram.
F-150 Lightning Looks Roughly Like You Thought It Would
At first glance, the F-150 Lighting looks like… a typical F-150 with the core shape and some of the rudimentary design cues being lifted over from its gasoline-powered cousin. However, look closer, and some fascinating details stand out to us. The tailgate, for example, houses an exciting lip spoiler, while the front fascia has a neat strip running along the front by the hood one.Â
While the image is not the sharpest available, it does appear to indicate that the Lightning will have a tweaked rear bumper though it’s unclear if this is a show car exclusive or if it will transition to full-scale production. The ride height also looked like it has been lowered slightly, but until the F-150 Lighting emerges from the shadows, we will not have a clear answer on that front. The truck also appears to have a SuperCrew configuration, and that might sour the moods of some buyers hoping to see Ford perhaps create a two-door body just for the Lightning.
This brief glimpse does appear to reveal that Lightning, like its predecessors, will be an offering catered more towards street driving versus being a trail-focused bruiser. That’s fine with us, considering that this mission does allow the nameplate to firmly stay in the fast lane and also build upon some of the success and sheer engineering insanity that defined older iterations of the truck.Â
When Will We See It?
As mentioned, Ford is pulling out all the stops for the F-150 Lightning’s unveiling, with the truck appearing via an online-only event on May 19th with the electrified truck then beginning production in Ford’s all-new Rogue Electric Center during the middle part of 2022. We had the chance to talk to some local ford reps here in Metro Detroit, and they revealed that early interest in Lighting is so strong that the company is already planning to boost production at the Electric Center by as much as 50 percent.
That’s an early indicator of just how much confidence Ford has in the F-150 Lightning, and we look forward to seeing if the electrified super truck can help send a fresh jolt of energy into Ford’s pickup sales, especially when the upcoming Ford Maverick adds some meat to the compact pickup ranks.   Â
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.